Worcester City Council backs foot patrols

Wednesday

Oct 31, 2012 at 6:00 AMOct 31, 2012 at 7:41 PM

By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

At the urging of Main South residents and business owners, the City Council last night asked the city to consider reinstating police foot patrols in the Main Street corridor between Chandler and Hammond streets.

The foot patrols began as part of an $800,000 package of safety and development incentives that City Manager Michael V. O'Brien offered the neighborhood after the city temporarily located a triage center for homeless people at the former People in Peril homeless shelter in December.

At that time, Mr. O'Brien promised that the homeless center would be relocated to a new, permanent site on Queen Street by Nov. 15. But the new building won't be ready until January, so the manager extended the operation of the temporary shelter at 701 Main St. for two months.

Meanwhile, the extra police patrols have ended, and Main South residents say crime has gone up.

District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera said residents and business owners welcomed the foot patrols because they provided a sense of safety.

But after much progress had been made, she said, things have gone backward since the foot patrols ended. She said that hurts economic development in Main South and has an effect on the city as a whole.

“Businesses want to grow in that area, but if crime is going to become a problem there, it defeats that purpose,” said Ms. Rivera, who presented a 15-page petition from the Main South Business Association in support of restoring the police foot patrols. “”They are all very much in agreement: We need this back.”

The council voted in favor of Ms. Rivera's motion to ask the city administration to consider reinstating the patrols.

Arthur Mooradian, a property owner in Main South, said the police foot patrols have been “the single biggest improvement” to the area, even more than the millions of dollars that have been invested in housing rehabilitation and street and sidewalk improvements. Because people feel safer, he said, more people are interested in living and doing business there.

Former District 4 Councilor Barbara G. Haller said when the city manager had to reopen the shelter at 701 Main St., the City Council promised to provide resources to enhance public safety in the neighborhood. But that promise is no longer being kept, she said, with the termination of the police foot patrols.

“The transformation in regards to public safety was remarkable, but that work is not done,” Ms. Haller said. “As the foot patrols have ended, crime is returning and that's no surprise.

This is about promises made, and promises kept, and we need this promise to be kept. Give us more time and we will deliver a neighborhood that will increase its productivity.”

William Breault, chairman of the Main South Alliance for Public Safety, said crime statistics for the period with the increased foot patrols underscore their success.

“We think this is important; we need (the police) there all along that corridor,” Mr. Breault said.

Meanwhile, residents of Pleasant and Piedmont streets made a pitch for police foot patrols in their neighborhood as well.

Mary Keefe, director of the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center, said while she appreciates the effectiveness of the police foot patrols in Main South, it did not completely stamp out illegal activity. Instead, she said, it shifted that activity to the Pleasant/Piedmont/Chandler area.

She provided the council with police statistics that showed how many crime categories had dramatic increases in her area when the foot patrols were in effect.

“A lot of criminal activity simply got pushed out to Pleasant Street,” Ms. Keefe said. “I hope the City Council would think more broadly when it considers police foot patrols and target the Chandler and Pleasant Street area as well.”

Donald Cummings, president of the Worcester Police Officials Association, said police are very receptive to working foot patrols. But he said they are very expensive because they require a lot of overtime.

Mr. Cummings said a better solution would be to put together another police recruit class for next fiscal year.

Some city councilors also expressed concerns about pitting one neighborhood against another.

“This is a serious issue, but it comes down to affordability,” said Mayor Joseph M. Petty. “We are going to have competing districts asking for foot patrols. It comes down to funding at the end of the day.”

Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes, meanwhile, said the council never promised to put foot patrols in a certain part of the city permanently.